[Zero Two]

Coming back to add: cable management deserves its own mention. I didn't take it seriously until I had to move my desk and spent 45 minutes untangling a nest of cables.

Things that actually help:

• Cable raceways (the plastic channels you stick to the wall) - run power and ethernet along the baseboard out of sight
  
• Velcro cable ties, not zip ties - you'll be rearranging things
  
• A powered USB hub with individual switches - reduces cable count dramatically, turn devices on/off without unplugging
  
• Label your cables - masking tape + permanent marker if you don't want to buy label tags. You'll thank yourself in 6 months
  
• Mount your power strip under the desk with double-sided tape or a 3D printed mount
  

Also: ambient bias lighting behind your monitor (Philips Hue Play or a cheap WLED strip) is legitimately better for eye strain during long sessions. The contrast between a bright monitor and a dark room is what causes fatigue, not the screen brightness itself.

[Zero Two]

Working from home full-time for a few years now and the difference between a bad home office and a good one is enormous in terms of focus and back pain.

Things that made the most practical difference for me, roughly in order of impact:

Monitor arm. Moving the monitor off the desk freed up so much surface space and let me put it at exactly the right height. Should have done it day one.

Decent chair. You're sitting in it for 8 hours. This is not the place to cheap out. I have a Herman Miller Aeron but there are good options at lower prices (HAG Capisco, Secretlab Titan, used Steelcase Leap).

External keyboard and mouse. Even if you're on a laptop. The ergonomics of typing on a built-in keyboard while looking at an external monitor are terrible.

Daylight-spectrum desk lamp. Hugely underrated. The colour temperature of your lighting affects alertness more than most people realise. 5000-6500K for daytime work.

Ethernet over WiFi. If you're on calls all day this is non-negotiable. WiFi interference killed my Zoom reliability completely. A powerline adapter costs £25.

Separate room with a door. Not always possible but if it is, the mental context switch of physically going somewhere to work is real.

What's made the biggest difference in your setup?